© SIP / Emmanuel Claude
Wednesday marked a significant milestone for Luxembourg’s future head of state: after 24 years of service, it was his final economic mission as Hereditary Grand Duke.
The third and final day of the Luxembourg delegation's visit to Japan, led by Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, also marked the first day in Osaka for Stéphanie Obertin – the Minister of Digitalisation, Research, and Higher Education.
On Wednesday morning, the delegation’s programme began with a visit to the hydrogen research laboratory of Iwatani Corporation in Amagasaki. There, HGD Guillaume and the minister were given an overview of Japan's advancements in hydrogen technology, including the development of fuelling stations.
Japan currently operates around 150 hydrogen stations, many of them managed by Iwatani. In contrast, Luxembourg has just one, located at the CFL Multimodal site in Bettembourg.
Nonetheless, the Grand Duchy is actively developing a national hydrogen strategy, with ambitions to position itself as a transit country, ideally through Belgium or France. However, Belgium's decision in February to suspend funding for hydrogen pipeline infrastructure has left Luxembourg needing to pursue this goal independently, according to Luxinnovation CEO Mario Grotz.
At present, there are no formal hydrogen cooperation agreements between Luxembourg and Japan. The visit to Iwatani was therefore primarily exploratory: an opportunity to better understand the current state of hydrogen innovation and to lay the groundwork for possible future partnerships.
Iwatani is already involved in international collaborations, including with France, Norway, and the European Union; relationships Luxembourg now hopes to join.
"We now need to demonstrate what Luxembourg can offer", said Grotz in conversation with RTL. "On one side, we have strong research activities at the university; on the other, we're running a promising pilot project in the hydrogen field. It's about showing our capabilities, our know-how, and hopefully creating interest for future collaboration."
To that end, the Hereditary Grand Duke extended an invitation to Iwatani to visit Luxembourg and gain a first-hand impression of the country's green energy initiatives.
'Emotional' farewell
From Amagasaki, the Luxembourg delegation continued to Osaka, where a reception hosted by Luxembourg's ambassador in Tokyo brought together both Luxembourgish and Japanese representatives to reaffirm the longstanding ties between the two nations. In 2027, Japan and Luxembourg will celebrate 100 years of diplomatic relations.
For Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, this trip also marked a personal milestone: it was his final economic mission as Crown Prince before he is set to succeed his father in October.
"This is a meaningful moment for me", he said. "It's my last mission as Hereditary Grand Duke before October, so yes, it was quite emotional. And to have it take place in Japan, a country I've visited often and always enjoyed, made it even more special."
Over the past 24 years, the Hereditary Grand Duke has participated in nearly 70 economic missions. He underscored his commitment to remain engaged in promoting Luxembourg's economy, even after ascending to the throne. He also welcomed the spotlight on Luxembourg's progress in the space sector, as featured at the Luxembourg Pavilion on Wednesday.
In a more creative gesture aimed at engaging the public, the delegation also presented Luxembourg's "first astronaut on Mars", a comic book character. The illustrated book 'Lëtzebuerg sicht de Luxonaut', created by Lucien Czuga and Daniel Altmann, is available in five languages, including Japanese. While it made its debut in Osaka, the comic will also be showcased this weekend at the BD Festival in Contern, where it will be signed and available for purchase.
